Dozens of northeast Houston residents arrived at the Carl Walker Jr. Multi-Purpose Center in Fifth Ward in early August with nervous anticipation, like music fans waiting for concert tickets that could quickly sell out.
The residents were there, though, to seek help paying their increasingly unaffordable utility bills. Community organizers knew from prior experience that the online application portal would likely only be open for a few hours that morning before hitting a cap and closing again until October.
“We’re racing against the clock and against all of Harris County,” said Carmen Cavezza, an organizer with the Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience, a northeast Houston nonprofit that helps residents prepare and submit their applications for the limited federal funds…